February, 2016

• 16 February

  Why Turnbull has to ‘do a Merkel’

  

  The cynicism or moral immobilism of the Western powers toward the Syria conflict has been a reminder that states all too often conform to the behaviour pattern predicted by the neo-realist conception of international relations. Yet in a handful of countries, including Australia and Germany, the popular response to the refugee crisis created by the conflict has reminded these states ...

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• 16 February

  Epilogue to the South Pacific tuna treaty

  

  Once again the South Pacific Tuna Treaty is in the news. But this year with heels dug in on both sides the outdated tuna treaty may have taken its last breath. For the past five years the tuna treaty’s annual funding negotiation has been an ordeal as the parties involved locked horns on how much the United States should pay ...

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• 16 February

  At US-ASEAN Summit, preparing for a new normal

  

  The element of signaling surrounding the first US-ASEAN summit in Sunnylands, California was strong. The White House decision to host ASEAN leaders at the same venue where US President Barack Obama previously received Chinese president Xi Jinping symbolized the increasingly pivotal role the US was according ASEAN as an institution. Visiting Laos and Cambodia, US Secretary of State John Kerry ...

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• 16 February

  ‘Brooklyn deal’ draws top investors

  

  BROOKLYN / Bloomberg Vornado Realty Trust, one of the biggest owners of Manhattan office towers, and Silverstein Properties Inc. are among potential bidders for real estate offered by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in an area of Brooklyn that’s in high demand by developers. The companies have expressed interest in at least one of three properties for sale, including the Brooklyn Heights ...

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• 16 February

  Cairo real estate weakens amid currency volatility

  Cairo / Emirates Business JLL, the world’s leading real estate investment and advisory firm, on Tuesday released its 2015 annual review of the Cairo Real Estate Market, assessing the latest trends in the office, residential, retail and hotel sectors. The report notes that Cairo real estate market has witnessed mixed performance across various segments in 2015 which was impacted by ...

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• 16 February

  Al Habtoor buys Vienna’s Imperial hotel

  Vienna / Bloomberg Vienna’s Hotel Imperial, used by stars including Madonna and Mick Jagger as well as politicians and diplomats, was bought by Dubai’s Al Habtoor Group LLC for US$78.8 million. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. sold the 138-room property, which will continue to operate under its Luxury Collection brand, the Stamford, Connecticut-based company said in a statement on ...

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• 16 February

  The intriguing math that turns Manhattan Properties into shekels

  

  Bloomberg What do Israeli investors know about retirement homes in Indiana? Enough to lend them 265 millionshekels. Strawberry Fields, a real estate investment trust whose facilities cater to Alzheimer’s sufferers in the Midwest, is the latest of at least 14 U.S. property companies that have borrowed a combined 8.1 billion shekels ($2.07 billion) in the Israeli market since 2008, securing ...

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• 16 February

  Japan’s Mitsubishi, ATR win US$1.1 billion orders

  

  Tokyo / Bloomberg Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., the maker of Japan’s first passenger jet, and propeller-plane maker ATR announced orders from lessors at the Singapore Airshow amid concern that a two-year, multi-billion-dollar order spree could soon start losing steam. Mitsubishi Aircraft signed a letter of intent with US lessor Aerolease Aviation LLC for 10 planes on a firm basis, with an ...

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• 16 February

  Airbus order backlog value tops US$1trn

  

  Paris / AFP Airbus Group SE said it’s raising its tally for last year, taking its total backlog of aircraft orders to $1 trillion Airbus revised upwards its 2015 net aircraft order book on Tuesday after it received orders very late in December. Including the 44 last-minute orders, Airbus’s book for 2015 now stands at 1,080 aircraft orders, worth $141.6 ...

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• 16 February

  Qatar Air to seek compensation for delays in getting A320neos

  

  Doha / Bloomberg Qatar Airways Ltd., the second-biggest Gulf carrier, will seek compensation for delays in delivery of its Airbus Group SE A320neo aircraft, Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said. Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan-powered engines have a “long way to go,” and Qatar Airways expects a “very huge” delay before receiving the A320neo, Al Baker told Bloomberg Television ...

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